


Thicker than Water, Deeper than Bone

by MegaWallflower



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bathing/Washing, M/M, Missions, Muscles, Pining, Rivers, Swimming, Thirsty Hatake Kakashi, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26015584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaWallflower/pseuds/MegaWallflower
Summary: During a break on a mission with Kakashi, Guy takes a dip in the river.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 7
Kudos: 135





	Thicker than Water, Deeper than Bone

**Author's Note:**

> "Just take a dip in the river, like I used to-"
> 
> Guy and his river baths during missions are canon, so I'm obligated to write about it.

“Ah-ha! Here! I’ve found the perfect spot!” Guy declared, dragging Kakashi along as he swung around another outcropping of rock.

Moving fast, he followed the sound of rushing water, the smell of the moss that grew on the rocks, feeling of the increasingly dampened soil beneath their sandals. He weaved past the trees and finally arrived to their destination.

In the quiet forest clearing in the Land of Earth, the birds were singing, the branches were rustling, small animals were hopping happily through the undergrowth. A balmy breeze whispered through the trees, and a small brook murmured nearby. A picturesque little cove, bright with shades of greens and browns and blues and oranges, illuminated by speckled sunlight dotting through the canopy. Flower petals floated by on the breeze, carrying their sweet perfume.

Nestled between towering trees, the bubbling stream curved in a way that created a perfect natural pool, fed by a small, rocky waterfall from a short cliff. The water softly rapped against the stony riverbed with the wind. Scattered Lotus blossoms and petals drifted across the surface of the pond.

They were still far from Konoha, but in places like this, it felt so much like their homeland’s lush terrain. Kakashi’s eye widened in pleasant surprise. “Wow. Hard to believe there are places like this here.”

Guy beamed with pride. “Plenty of water, lots of shade! What a peaceful little corner of the world, huh? How fantastic! This looks like the perfect spot for us to take a break!” Guy declared, apropos of nothing. He dropped his backpack and unfastened his weapons pouch before Kakashi had a chance to argue.

They’d already had enough of an argument over whether it would be better to keep pushing through ahead of schedule and lean on their mental strength to carry them, or if it was worth it to stop, find a shady, safe place, and regain their physical stamina before they continued. Neither of them technically won that argument, but Guy had grabbed Kakashi, pulled him off path, and hunted down this place as well he could, proving once again that although Kakashi gave him a run for his money, Guy really was the more stubborn of the two.

The missions they were on were risky and tense. This quiet place would be a nice refuge from all the crazy shit they’d been dragged through these past few weeks.

Kakashi still just rolled his eye and put his hands in his pockets lazily. “Hm… I don’t know if I’d call this place ‘perfect’… The only perfect place would be for us to be en route to the next checkpoint. And really, I still can’t believe you’re the one begging for a break, Guy. Are you saying the Noble Green Beast is tired?” Kakashi taunted, his eyebrows going smoothly up, because the argument technically still wasn’t over and because he loved to get under Guy’s skin. “You’re turning into an old man already.”

Guy’s cheeks flushed red in frustration, but his grin didn’t falter and neither did his confidence. “No! I’m saying that we have time to schedule in a brief respite! So, Kakashi, I formally request a short break, since we’re currently ahead of schedule! Permission granted?”

Kakashi shrugged and took a seat against a tree trunk. Honestly, he definitely needed the break more than Guy did, which was probably why Guy had been so insistent about it. He knew that Guy was always more worried about Kakashi than himself. “Fine. We have some time to kill, since you’re such a tired old man.”

Guy huffed. “You were always 5 years old going on 50, and you’re doubting _my_ youth? When we get back to Konoha, we’re going to have a taijutsu match. I’m going to demonstrate exactly how young and spry I still am.”

“Sure. I’ll go easy on you, so I don’t to break this poor old man’s bad back. I have to respect my elders.”

Guy spun to glare Kakashi down, noticed the amused twitch in the smiling curve of his eye, and instead turned away and held his breath. He wasn’t going to be dragged into something Kakashi knew how to win. He wasn’t going to be pulled along at Kakashi’s pace. Instead, Guy dropped to his knees and took a closer look at the oasis. He stretched his arms out into the surf, cupped his hands in it, and Kakashi was fascinated by the way it perfectly filled his hands. Not a single drop escaped. Smoothly, he lifted his hands over his head and dumped the water on himself, letting cool drops of water slide along his scalp and down his back with a giddy shiver. Then, he shook his head, spraying droplets everywhere. Kakashi brought up a hand to shield himself.

“The water’s nice and cool and crystal clear! I’m taking a dip in the water to cool my head!” Guy announced to change the subject and steer it in his own direction.

It worked. “—You’re getting in?” Kakashi asked, letting too much surprise bleed through his tone. “Did we pack a swimsuit?”

Guy snorted and slipped out of his shoes. "That would defeat the purpose a bit, rival! Unless you already put yours on underneath your clothes?"

Kakashi shook his head. He wasn't at all dressed for a swim.

“I don’t need one, then! There’s nothing more honest than a man’s naked body, but I trust you enough to bare my secrets before you!” Guy pulled at the elastic collar of his jumpsuit until it was low enough to show the muscle that arced into his collarbone, and Kakashi averted his eye. “Besides, I want a proper bath. Who bathes in a swimsuit? It should be alright as long as you keep watch for me!”

“…You know, Guy, you shouldn’t really need to get in the water. You’re ridiculously resilient,” He tried to appeal to Guy’s sense of pride again. “Just taking a break will be enough. You can do without a bath for now. I’d think you would be all about having the mental fortitude to endure things like that.”

For a moment, Guy pretended to consider the argument, before finally saying, “You really do think mental strength is everything… Well! I guess this is one of those times when we’ll simply have to agree to disagree, Rival!”

Kakashi glanced back up, just in time to catch the fluid motion of Guy pulling the top of his jumpsuit down. All the clever words and cutting taunts on the tip of his tongue suddenly vanished, and Kakashi swallowed a lump in his throat while he watched Guy disrobe, giving Kakashi a nice view of his beautifully sculpted back.

Guy stretched his arms, and Kakashi watched the way the back muscles that could be seen through his rival’s mesh armor undershirt moved and bunched. His eye greedily took in his broad shoulders and the muscles rippling down his back.

His torso curved as he lifted his arms above his head to eagerly shrug that mesh undershirt off over his head and drop it to the stony ground at his feet. The now bare muscles around his stomach moved as he brought his arms back down, and even though the motion was smooth, his black hair ended up disheveled. Tiny spikes of shiny black hair stood out against the clear blue sky.

It was a little distracting, to be honest. A dedicated jonin, Kakashi wanted to focus on the mission and be done with this little break as soon as possible. Conflictingly, a hormonal young man, Kakashi also wanted to touch those muscles, wanted to slide his fingers into Guy’s hair and smooth it back out, until it fell more naturally, messily, around his face. He couldn’t pass up the chance to at least watch.

Guy was lean, well-muscled, calloused but handsome. Sweat was drying on his skin and itching at the back of his neck, and as a logical, focused shinobi, Kakashi couldn’t understand why he had the sudden urge to lick that sweat off Guy’s skin.

Kakashi’s skin hadn’t seen sunlight often, and he was nearly pale enough to reflect its light like a daytime moon. Guy was different. He loved the sun, he _was_ sunlight, and his skin is used to a warmth far harsher than this. Guy’s sun-kissed complexion spoke partly of inherited genes from Duy and partly of a life that had found him out in the world as much as possible. More and more of the olive skin revealed itself as the jumpsuit was peeled away, lower and lower.

Guy’s hands moved to his waist, ready to shuck off his jumpsuit entirely and dive into the cool water on a hot day–but before he got that far, he darted a glance back towards Kakashi.

Kakashi just gawked appreciatively. He wasn’t blind. He had known Guy had a good body. He watched him fight all the time, he knew how hard Guy worked out, and it never seemed like the jumpsuit left very much to the imagination. Kakashi had seen him topless other times too, but this was the first time he'd seen all of Guy in a while. He’d grown up. Filled out. The jumpsuit hid more than Kakashi thought it did. There were two perfect dimples at his lower back, above the swell of his backside.

He had always had something that tore at Kakashi, but what he was seeing now took his breath away. How could he have missed the point where Guy’s shoulders broadened and his upper body shaped a beautiful V towards his tapered hips?

Guy cleared his throat, which pulled Kakashi’s attention up from the enticing arc of half-clothed hip bones to eyes that were more amused than offended. Kakashi wasn’t sure if he was just imagining the slight upturn at the corner of Guy’s kissable looking lips. He didn’t chastise Kakashi at all for staring, but Kakashi could still feel his face heating after being caught ogling.

“What an intense gaze! See something you like?” Guy asked, with a wink, and if Kakashi didn’t know Guy better, he’d mistakenly misread the meaning behind that suggestive tone and that pregnant pause. Kakashi almost embarrassed himself by misunderstanding it in exactly that way until Guy continued, “Well, you, too, could have a body as finely toned as mine, if you would properly join me for my strength and endurance training! Then you won’t have to be so jealous of me! I could even be your personal trainer!”

He sounded like an advertisement. Kakashi chuckled stiffly. Guy was still Guy. That didn’t calm Kakashi’s heart at all, but it made him smile. “I’ll pass. It’s not like I’m not lazy. You just do way too much.”

Guy rolled his eyes and his shoulders. “I think I do the perfect amount.”

Kakashi shrugged and turned back to his book. To be honest, Guy had earned this moment of respite. He’d followed Kakashi’s lead and the mission’s directive for weeks without complaint. He’d taken more than his fair share of hits.

Kakashi hadn’t really earned the nice view, though, and he wasn’t prepared to have to endure it.

The jumpsuit was still mostly down, bunched around his lower hips when Guy noticed Kakashi’s eye still glancing and darting away again. Guy met Kakashi’s wandering eye with a glint that was innocently daring, and not at all in a risqué way. “You really don’t seem that disinterested. You sure that you don’t want to hop in, Kakashi? Or are you just staring because you want to help me get this off?”

Kakashi nearly choked on his own tongue, but once he recovered from the almost striptease and processed the question, his gaze snapped back up to Guy’s face. Guy’s grin seemed wider than usual. Kakashi was steadily being forced to come to terms with his own feelings whenever he had extended missions with Guy like this. The longer missions stretched on, the more the days of sweat and budding desire began to layer. But usually, the feeling was more gradual and easier to ignore than… whatever this was. It was made worse by the fact that Kakashi could never tell if Guy was obliviously egging him on or if he was purposely messing with him.

In the most disinterested voice Kakashi could physically muster, he answered, “Hm… No, I’ll pass.”

Guy turned around so that he was facing Kakashi. His bare chest was broad and muscled, and suddenly he seemed bigger than Kakashi had ever thought him to be, even though he was barely taller than Kakashi and certainly not in a different weight class. “Funny, I could feel you staring so hard, I figured you thought that I was going too slow for your tastes! You seem like you want to micromanage me again.” Micromanaging Guy sounded kind of nice right then, honestly. Guy continued, “You may be my commanding officer for this specific mission, but you don’t have to walk me through getting off my jumpsuit, I can do this very efficiently! You seem so worried that I’ll waste too much time! Relax a little, Rival! Unless a break is more than a workaholic like you can handle at all? Am I hurting your so-called mental fortitude?”

It took Kakashi an aggravatingly long time to summon up a response to that taunt, since he was so entranced by what skin he could see and the promise of what he could not, the dip of the v-line into Guy’s underwear. There was no happy trail there, Guy was thoroughly clean-shaven. Clearing his throat, Kakashi grumbled, “My mental fortitude is stronger than that.”

“Good!” Guy got back to undressing. Kakashi’s eye was glued to the jumpsuit sliding down his legs, catching on his ankles before Guy bent over to grab them, fist them and throw them away along with his legwarmers. He was finally completely naked, bent over from behind, and Kakashi could only stare mutely.

Guy suddenly tossed Kakashi the balled-up heap of clothes in his hands and relied on the jonin’s well-honed reflexes as a guarantee that he would catch them. Kakashi was so preoccupied mapping the tight curve of Guy’s supple ass, he nearly fumbled the simple catch. “You can rely on _mental fortitude_ all you want, but I’m going take a dip in the river! We’ll see which of us has more vigor afterwards!”

Guy seemed unbothered that his seemingly endless expanse of skin was openly on display for anyone who might happen to look over at him. His finely sculpted legs, thick with trained strength, didn’t shuffle along shyly anymore. His powerfully broad shoulders and beautifully muscled back didn’t hunch self-consciously anymore. In fact, he was showing off now.

He stood tall and proud as if he were clothed in battle armor instead of his birthday suit. There was not a single scrap of shame or modesty. Not that Guy needed any, even with his scattered scars, but Kakashi wished he’d get some and hide himself so that Kakashi could stop staring like the fool he was.

“…You’re going to catch a cold,” Kakashi tried, as poker-faced as he could be, glancing down at the jumpsuit and undergarments in his hands, glancing up at the back of Guy’s head, trying not glance anywhere else. He smothered a smile and the maddening thought that _Guy is naked, just a few feet away_.

He could hear Guy’s unimpressed laughter at that weak attempt at an argument. Guy settled on a spot at the edge of the stream and looked back over his shoulder to smile at Kakashi cheekily. “Spoken like a man who has no idea how good my stamina is! This body, this heart, this soul, this endurance…” Guy pounded his fist against his chest. “I’ve spent my whole life building up this. I’m very confident in it. I won’t catch a cold, and if I do, then I’ll do one hundred pushups dressed as bare naked as I am right now!”

To prove his point, Guy flexed and stretched. Kakashi could see the muscles along Guy’s back and in his arms, which were usually well hidden somehow by his flamboyant clothing. Kakashi could trace the slight taper of his waist down to his ass as Guy leaned into the water and scooped some into his hands, then quickly turned to try to splash it in Kakashi’s direction. He dodged the “attack.”

A breeze ruffled his hair and Kakashi inhaled deeply as the cool morning air brought him a waft of Guy’s scent. Almost timidly, Kakashi brought the clothes in his arms up to his face when Guy was turned away again. He could smell Guy in the spandex. His tangy scent made Kakashi’s eye flutter closed, a swirl of heat twisting through his chest and moving lower. He draped the clothes neatly over a flat stone so they wouldn’t wrinkle.

Kakashi’s heart was pounding a little too fiercely for comfort. He pulled out Icha Icha Tactics as a much-needed distraction. Although, with a fully naked Guy to one side of him and the salacious content of this book in front of him, it was a challenge within itself to bring relaxation into the mix.

Another tell-tale splash sounded from up ahead, and an excited shout cut through the quiet morning air as well as Kakashi’s thoughts, because it was hard to focus on the words on the page with the knowledge that now there was a fully naked, _wet_ Guy right over there.

Guy’s laughter rung out as he dove smoothly into the water, a practiced, fluid motion. He was an experienced swimmer and barely put a ripple in the surface of the water when he came up for air a moment later. “You look so dull over there!”

Kakashi reluctantly returned his gaze to the man he’d been partnered with for this mission, but if he’d meant to say another quip, it vanished from his mind by the time he managed to get his mouth open.

Guy’s back was to him when he went under, but when he emerged, he had turned to face Kakashi. He was submerged to his upper waist in the clear blue pool of water, surrounded by large flat rocks and soft leaf ground plants and apparently standing on one of the rocks under the water. The water was translucent, his abs were tight, his pecs perfect: round and firm with perfect rosy nipples pebbled with cold. He spun, and water drops danced around him. “Of course, you’d spend our precious break with your nose in that dirty book again. Such a dirty mind, and you don’t want to take a bath with me! You’re impossible.”

Guy got back into deeper parts of the pool and swam across the clear water with clean, strong strokes. The water slid across his curves like a lover's caress and Kakashi had never felt jealous of water before, but he was now.

By now, the thought of stepping away or turning his back under some pretense of giving Guy some privacy didn't even occur to Kakashi. He’d never seen anyone look so stunning in his entire life. Kakashi wanted to feel Guy’s wet hair in his fist. He wanted to taste the sweet freshwater on his skin. He was mesmerized by the beauty of the space, the clarity of the water, and the handsome naked man in it, coming up for air, shaking his head and sending droplets flying, running his hand through his hair to keep it from being plastered against his forehead, taunting and laughing and making Kakashi’s heart stop.

Guy was handsome. Kakashi had noticed a while ago. Sometimes he couldn't do anything except notice how handsome Guy was. Something about Guy drove him crazy and it had been getting worse lately. Up until now, the thought of all the companions he already lost from getting too close to them, the thought of having yet another gravestone to visit and clean off, had helped him keep his distance from Guy.

Kakashi was not thinking about gravestones right now.

Kakashi was thinking about those calves, thighs, hips, abdomen, fingers and hands. They all ran under the transparent, sparkling water and felt their tension melt away, made buoyant and light. “I told you.” Guy smiled, shaking his head at Kakashi. “This is so refreshing. And I feel just fine. My body is very reliable. It would take much more than this to get me sick.”

Kakashi should close his eyes and take a nap and pretend he'd never been here. He should go a little farther out to set up camp and leave Guy to wash up alone. He should. He couldn't. His heartbeat picked up and his dick twitched. It wasn’t just that it had been a while, although it had. No, his reaction was definitely bigger and more troublesome than generic lust.

He wanted Guy. All the way down to his stunted, wounded heart, Kakashi wanted Guy. Watching Guy in this private moment felt so much more exciting than it should. Those feelings were clouding his judgement. He had a weird feeling form in the pit of his stomach.

There he was, just lounging in the river, with the light reflecting off the river’s surface. He was practically glowing in the bask of the sunlight streaming in through the leafy trees shading them. His face was agleam with the water’s ripples. Set against that, the darkness of his eyes was so intense that Kakashi couldn’t bear to look away.

Guy’s muscular back was slick and sun kissed, dropping off into the water. The water ran down his face, dripping from his nose and chin and accentuating his features. Waterdrops trickled down his forehead, streaming down his sharp cheekbones and jaw.

Guy was beautiful and Kakashi’s pants were getting tighter. Kakashi was getting hard watching Guy wash up in the river. Kakashi smothered a smile and tried to focus on pretending to read the words in his book.

Guy could still feel Kakashi’s eye on him as he squatted in the shallow parts of the water, cleaning away the dirt of travel with quick swipes of his hands. Guy grinned, a crooked, cocky twist to his mouth that bore a brief flash of teeth. Though he was wet and half-drowned, he looked refreshed— which is what Kakashi supposed was the point of the break in the first place. Privately, Kakashi would have to admit, he was feeling refreshed from the sight alone, even though it still didn’t calm him down at all.

“You really look jealous!” Guy teased obliviously, lounging back against a rock. Cool water lapped against Guy's chest and the cool stone pressed against his back. “It’s not too late to join me, you know! The water is soooo soothing and cool! I can feel my spiritual strength replenishing! I can feel my chakra overflowing!” Guy exaggerated.

Kakashi flipped the pages to one of his favorite parts of this book, which would hopefully distract himself from the show that Guy was putting on. Guy’s bathing wasn’t usually this interesting to him, and Kakashi brushed it aside as being the first thing Kakashi had had to look at other than enemies and rocks and trees in days. It was a novelty at this point, depressingly so. At least, that was the lie he told himself as Kakashi continued to watch his companion out of the corner of his eye.

With every passing day, Kakashi was finding it harder and harder to ignore his growing interest in him. Guy kept unknowingly chipping away at Kakashi’s resolve with the familiarity they’d developed over time: asking for help bathing because of sore muscles, sleeping a hair too close, relieving some tension while Guy hunted for dinner. Kakashi couldn’t stop thinking about all those little things.

Guy took a deep breath, ducked his head, and vanished beneath the pool. Against his better judgement, Kakashi crawled over and peered into the water, watching the swirl of Guy’s naked body beneath the water. Guy was beautiful, and Kakashi’s pants were officially too tight.

Guy looked up and noticed Kakashi staring down at then. He answered with bubbles of laughter, grinning up at him from beneath the water with his hair floating around his head like smoke. Then, he surfaced inches from Kakashi’s face and blew a stream of water at him.

Kakashi dodged it again and dunked him back underwater in retribution. Kakashi’s mouth twitched, the smile instead settling into his eyes. “Was that your sorry attempt at water style?”

Guy resurfaced again, sputtering and giggling and wiping away the wet curtain of inky black tresses plastered to his face. Guy pulled himself up against the curve of the stony bank of the river. He blinked away the water on his long lashes. His arms were beaded with river water, his hair damp and slicked back from his face. Tiny droplets of moisture dripped along the sinews of muscles on his forearms and pooled in the crooks of his elbows. “No, it’s a special jutsu! One my father created and I perfected! Might Clan Secret Technique: Make Kakashi Smile no Jutsu!”

It was a silly impulse, but Kakashi took his hand off Guy’s head and brought it up to his mouth, as if he needed to hide the cheesy smile that Guy already knew was behind his mask. He’d been so busy drooling over Guy, had almost hadn’t noticed how obvious he was smiling.

“Looks like it worked!” Guy folded his arms and lounged on the riverbank. Languidly sprawled over the stone, head pillowed in his arms, Guy grinned up at Kakashi. Kakashi just hoped nothing was too obvious to Guy from that angle. Kakashi shifted his legs subtly to hide something that was rising besides the corners of his lips. “I’ve found something that elite copycat ninja is weak to? My training is paying off,” he said sweetly.

Self-satisfied with that mini victory, Guy tipped his head back and pushed himself back out into the water, letting his wispy black tresses lay on the surface of the water and floated away. Guy moved out into the water, taking advantage of all the space he had to himself.

Kakashi drank in the sight of Guy fully on display, floating atop the water, glistening wet with the water streaming down his skin. It was glorious: legs that stretched on forever, flat stomach with the hint of rippling abdominal muscles, a prominent, full chest. It seemed that Guy was in possession of a lot of things that Kakashi was weak to.

“I needed this,” Guy sighed and ducked under the water. He bobbed up and pushed back his hair as he resurfaced and then wiped the water from his face like he was the object of fancy in a seedy film that Kakashi would love and Guy would call too risqué for his tastes. He must have caught the look in Kakashi’s eye if the smug look on Guy’s face was anything to go by. Slowly, as though approaching an animal that might get spooked by sudden movements, he swam back towards Kakashi. "You’re really not going to get in here with me? Do I have to drag you in?"

There was a bright, mischievous glint that flashed across Guy’s gaze, and Kakashi recognized it all too well. Guy pushed up on the riverbank and lunged for Kakashi’s feet, his arm moving in a smooth arc that spoke volumes about the athleticism his body hadn't quite forgotten, even in his supposed exhaustion.

Though Kakashi’s mind was still stuttering awake from processing the sight of Guy’s naked and soaked and coming towards him, there was nothing wrong with Kakashi’s legs. His playfully competition with Guy was second nature at this point, and he easily took a few quick steps back out of Guy’s range with a cocky smile. “Hm? Did you say something?”

“Ugh! So cool and avant-garde, as always.” Guy pushed himself up on his elbows on the rocks, accepting his failure at dunking Kakashi with a lopsided grin and something like grace. Guy rolled his eyes, and pushed off back into the river, but not before gifting Kakashi with a long, uninterrupted look at the bare architecture of his body, the curve of his spine, the lean lines of his legs, all the muscle he’d built up through years of training, from his shoulders, to his arms, to his bare ass he couldn't bother bringing swim trunks to cover up.

Guy climbed onto a large flat stone in the middle of the water. The clear river water ran across Guy’s cleanly shaven chest and dripped down to create a path straight to his crotch. Kakashi couldn’t see where the trail ended, because it was obscured by Guy’s thigh with the way he was sitting, but Kakashi had seen Guy naked enough times for his mind to easily conjure an image that left his breath stuttering. “Fine! Be that way! Just toss me a washcloth from my bag. Let me wipe myself down before we get back to work.” Guy held up a hand expectantly.

Kakashi considered ignoring the request, but in the interest of not prolonging this break any longer than it needed to be, he complied, digging around in Guy’s backpack and tossing Guy the small cloth he was referring to.

Guy slid the rag into the water with a discreet swish, then started wiping himself down. His hand went to his chest first, and the water moved out of the way as his hand followed a thorough path. He ran the cloth over his shoulder and down his front. The hollow of his neck, then down to his nipples, down his abs. Guy hummed to himself quietly as he dragged the linen cloth over his torso and around to his lower back, squeezing the water out of it, so it sent rivulets down his spine and over his ass. 

Kakashi bit his lip, trying and failing not to watch. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t seen each other bathe before. Guy and Kakashi were childhood friends. Guy often gave Kakashi his very full attention as he bathed, they washed each other’s backs before, they practiced water style in bathtub matches that usually ended in Kakashi showing off smugly while Guy more-or-less failed to do anything. There had been sleepovers before, at Sakumo’s or Duy’s insistence. Especially Duy– “Two comrades, coming together with nothing between! The honesty of a man’s naked body, with nothing to hide away! It’s the best way to understand one another!”

Duy hadn’t meant it like that. Duy was so flowery and grand with his words that honestly, Kakashi had understood what he’d meant innocently. That was just how he was.

Those same words were dyed in an entirely new meaning when they came from Guy. So, this was an honest man’s body… It felt completely new and dangerous for Kakashi now, watching Guy drag the thin strip of linen over his long limbs, especially with how much time Kakashi had spent avoiding Guy over the years. Every time he saw him again, it seemed like he had grown again. His growth spurts were always more dramatic than Kakashi’s were.

Kakashi could feel himself growing harder. He shifted slightly to relieve the strain in his pants, but it did little more than make him more aware of it. Guy was oblivious to Kakashi’s predicament, continuing the one-sided conversation, even if only to hear the sound of his own voice. “Natural baths are so nice… We should visit the hot springs when we get back to Konoha. What I wouldn’t give to take a proper, long, hot soak right now…”

Guy dragged the cloth low before bringing it up and wringing it out. Sunlight glistened like gemstone as the water pearled down his waist curves, over the mounds of his softer, shapely butt. He took his time in washing over his legs and then back up again, running his hands over his ass.

Kakashi knew what was coming next, and he couldn’t look away as Guy wobbled a little as he reset his knees further apart. Breathing deep and settling back, Guy’s hands went lower and brought the cloth between his legs. Cloth swirled searchingly across his skin until he reached his dick.

Guy didn’t pay Kakashi’s peeping much attention as he reached down and cupped his own genitals, giving them a cursory cleaning. It was just part of traveling together. And more than that, they were rivals –naked intimacy and the bond between men, honesty with nothing to hide, things that Guy would boast about without a hint of embarrassment or irony.

Kakashi looked away as Guy released a soft sigh as he gave himself a gentle squeeze before using the cloth to clean away the days of sweat. 

“...The warm mineral waters of the Land of Steam would be even better! A proper bath, once we have the time! Wouldn’t it be great, Kakashi? Especially after working up a sweat from a long, rewarding mission together!” Guy asked, though he was thoroughly engrossed in his task.

“Hmm,” Kakashi gave as a non-answer. He watched the way that Guy bit his lip as he scooped up some of the water in his hand and washed away the lather before cleaning beneath his foreskin. Kakashi hid a groan behind a grumble as Guy’s tongue poked out, highlighting the concentration he’d dedicated to his task.

“We don’t get to relax enough! Even someone as hardworking as me can see the value in giving oneself plenty of time to rest and recuperate, physically and mentally! And honestly, Kakashi, you probably only disagree because you’re such a workaholic! It’s my job as your rival to make sure you don’t lean too heavily on that ‘mental strength’ of yours, or it’ll hurt your endurance! We all have our limits!” Guy complained, finally releasing said cock and taking up the cloth again to clean his testicles.

From where he was seated, Kakashi could see Guy’s hand beneath himself, trying to cleanse himself of the ripe sweat that settled in every crevice after the strenuous exercise. Kakashi’s own body clenched as the cloth dripped onto the stone beneath Guy as the water washed away, leaving only the light scent of Guy behind.

Kakashi turned back to his book, forcing himself not to think about how much he liked Guy’s scent. It was familiar. Grounding. He wanted to wrap himself up in it.

“…I don’t need a vacation. There are missions for me to do, and I carry them out. It’s too late for either of us to live a civilian’s life.” Kakashi huffed, but his voice cracked at the end as he reached further back to clean behind his testicles. “It’s as simple as that.”

“Bah,” Guy complained, working his way back to wiping the washcloth along his length. He narrowed his eyes at Kakashi’s book. “Even though I know for a fact there are places you want to visit that you’ll never get to see on a mission… You’re so goal-oriented. Loyal. The perfect shinobi –that’s what I’ve heard so many people call you. I bet you have a million strategies playing out at once in that mind of yours. Sometimes, I think you forget you’re a human being first and a shinobi second. But sometimes…”

Guy paused, and his expression softened and he sunk down into the water. Kakashi blinked and looked over to him. “Sometimes what?”

“Sometimes, I swear you’re finally looking at me in a way that has nothing to do with planning the next mission. Sometimes you get a look in your eye like you’re not thinking about jutsu or missions or strategies. Sometimes you look like you’re lost in thoughts of springtime. That makes me happy. It makes me feel like I’m slowly winning you over and getting my rival back. And you know I love the feeling of winning anything against you.”

Kakashi’s heart raced, and he tried not to address the bulk of that statement. “How would I know that if you can’t actually win anything against me?”

“Cheeky as ever! Well, anyway, since you’re clearly all full of energy again, let me ask a favor of you, my humble and esteemed rival!” Guy called out.

“A favor? What, while you’re still bathing?” As disinterested as Kakashi tried to sound, it was a good opportunity. If Guy needed him to go gather flowers and scour the area, he could get some alone time to calm himself down without Guy seeing.

Guy slid back into the water and came to sit on the river bank near Kakashi, giving him a closer view of the water streaming down the musculature of his back. “Well, would you mind helping me clean my back? I can’t reach. I’m still a bit stiff after that scuffle we got out of earlier.” Guy sounded just a bit embarrassed by the admission. 

Kakashi’s breath caught. “Well… Maybe you should have followed my directions and taken cover during the fight. Then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” Kakashi scolded playfully, even as he closed his book and drew closer to Guy. He slid off his gloves and set them aside.

Guy pouted. That expression was one thing he never grew out of in any of his growth spurts. “What? This again? I knew you’d say that! You’re not going to convince me to apologize for jumping in to take a hit for you! You never have and never will! I’m impressed that you’re still trying, though. Determination is one of your good points, rival! Who would I get this cheeky nagging from if I didn’t jump in to save you? My life would feel so empty without it.” 

“You’re so melodramatic,” Kakashi grumbled, crouching beside the stream and holding out a hand for Guy’s cloth, still trying to decide on where he wanted to focus his attention. He could see Guy better from this angle, and he tried not to look at Guy’s cock which hung limply between his strong thighs. 

“And you’re so kind,” Guy answered with sarcastic affection, brightening as he handed over the cloth. “That’s why you’re my one and only rival. I challenge you to be a little nicer to me during our breaks!”

“You always choose the most difficult challenges imaginable. Fine.” For that alone, Kakashi moved around him and gathered more water from the stream for the washcloth, using a weak fire release jutsu to warm it just enough to be pleasant.

Kakashi ran the heated cloth across the lean contours of his back. Guy relaxed as Kakashi massaged his sore muscles with the warm cloth. Where his fingers brushed against the skin, Kakashi could feel it, corded with lean muscles and marred with a few scars. Kakashi had felt this back so many times, pressed against his own whenever they were drawn back to back, like magnets, like soulmates, like two people who refused to let any harm come to their other half while they were there. That was how Kakashi knew, every scar on Guy’s back was a scar he got on a mission that he wasn’t on with Kakashi. Feeling Guy’s back with his ungloved hands instead of through the barrier of their clothes and jackets felt so much more intimate.

Guy let out a soft, pleased groan as the warm water washed over his shoulders and down his back, soothing the tight muscles there. “Ah, Kakashi, that feels so good…” he said blissfully, shifting his position and leaning into Kakashi’s touch.

That reaction tugged a little string of arousal that was attached at his navel and below. Kakashi’s abdomen clenched, and he shifted to make sure Guy couldn’t feel anything poking against his back.

“You even heated the water for me! You spoil me, Kakashi! You can be nice when you try!” Guy said.

“You’re too easy to spoil. Your standards are low,” He murmured when the pressure in his chest became too much for him to stay silent. “I’m just trying to make you hurry up. This is supposed to be a short break, remember?” Kakashi cajoled as he moved behind Guy’s back and continued to clean him.

“Whatever you say, Rival! I’m almost done!” Guy grinned and winked.

Kakashi rolled an eye. He scrubbed at Guy’s shoulders, running the cloth over Guy’s skin in a gentle circular motion to remove the dirt and sweat, tracing the lines of his toned muscles and injuries through the washcloth. He inspected the fresh, fading bruises left behind from their recent mission, the old, faint scars left behind from older missions.

After the fight they’d gotten out of, Kakashi had checked Guy for any serious damage and hadn’t found anything, but it didn’t hurt to check again, even though Guy’s complaints were probably exaggerated just to get Kakashi to wash his back, which was the closest Guy was going to get to Kakashi joining his river bath. Kakashi lifted Guy’s arm and rotated it, and Guy moved easily for him. Guy didn’t feel nearly as stiff as he claimed to be. He was limber as ever. Kakashi gave his back a gentle pat.

Guy hummed contentedly as Kakashi slowly worked his way lower. “It’s so nice, having someone to watch my back for me.” Guy mused as Kakashi focused on his task. “Don’t you think so, too, Kakashi?”

“I’m not as trusting as you are. There’s hardly anyone I’d let get behind me like this.” Kakashi’s expression softened, blushing faintly. This close, Kakashi could really smell Guy. No fancy soap or perfume, just his natural scent. Not even the muddled version of it he’d gotten from time to time that was mixed with his sweat. Just Guy’s familiar, comforting scent.

Kakashi took a slow breath near Guy’s neck as he leaned around Guy and handed him back his washcloth.

“Maybe not, but I’ll wash your back too, sometime! You’ll let me, won’t you, Rival?”

“Mm,” Kakashi nodded, as he got a lungful of the fresh smell that clung to Guy’s skin. None of Guy’s flowery hand-made soapy scents clung to it anymore, and the sweat had been washed away, leaving only Guy himself. Kakashi bit his lip as he finished up and watched as Guy dove back into the water and swam to where the waterfall met the pond. They were only maybe eight feet high and the water had worn the stone smooth below. There was enough of a natural curve in the stone just behind the falling water that Guy had room to nestle under the waterfall with ease.

He braced himself as he stepped into the overflow, working his hands through his hair and over his body. Kakashi watched as the waterfall’s steady flow cascaded over Guy’s body. The mist from the tumbling water bounced off of his shoulders. He let the water rinse him, cover his body in long, languid strokes. Guy’s mostly flaccid penis hung down from his crotch lazily. Streaks of cool water rolled from base to tip, dripping to back into the pond.

The weight of Kakashi’s stomach plummeted downwards like the water on Guy’s shoulders. And all he could think about is how much he wanted to join him.

Guy shivered dramatically at the chill of the water, but he didn’t complain. Despite his dramatic nature, he rarely actually complained about their accommodations. Guy dealt extraordinarily well with life on extended missions. He was almost too adaptable. “—Woo! This really wakes me up! I feel like a new man!”

Kakashi took a deep breath and tried, again, to pry his attention away from that and towards his book. By the time Guy emerged from the waterfall, Kakashi was back to sitting under a tree and reading his book.

Guy smiled sweetly at him before he moved towards the edge where Kakashi was waiting. "Help me get out?" Guy extended an arm to him, lifting himself up and putting his foot on a rock in the pool, which drew Guy up so the water met him at the waist.

While Kakashi was once again caught off guard by the sudden tempting view of that tawny skin and those pink nipples, Kakashi wasn’t unprepared when Guy tried to use his leverage on the rock to pull Kakashi into the water. He knew Guy too well to fall for that. He’d seen that little plan coming from miles away. Guy strained against Kakashi as he dug in his heels, arching his back and trying to get proper leverage on the slippery stone riverbed before he sagged and simply let Kakashi hold him partially out of the water.

“Nice try. Leave the underhanded strategizing to me, hm?” Kakashi advised, slowing drawing his arm back as he pulled Guy out of the water.

"Tsk. Impressive… Oh, you’re good, Kakashi," Guy said with a mock indignant tone, properly stepping out of the water now. Guy flicked water from his fingertips at Kakashi as he passed. “But that foresight and subtle determination is exactly the reason why you are my rival!”

Kakashi squawked in offense before grumbling to himself about how rude Guy was. Guy didn’t pay his grumbling much attention as he dried himself off with a Leaf Hurricane and pulled on a fresh jumpsuit. “I’ll be taking a jog to get my blood flowing again! I’ll be back in six minutes, ready and raring to continue! Sound good?”

“Six minutes exactly, or I’ll leave without you.”

“You’re too kind to do that to me!”

“Five minutes, 50 seconds now.” Kakashi pretended to tap a non-existent watch on his wrist.

Guy dashed off in a blur, and Kakashi set down his book and took a deep breath.

With a few moments alone, Kakashi could finally take care of himself before Guy got back. Six minutes. He could make it work.


End file.
